Defence research funding applications now open

Applications are now being sought to receive funding from Defence Innovation Partnership’s Collaborative Research Fund (CRF). Successful applicants will receive grants of up to $150,000 to support genuine collaboration across government, universities and industry for early-stage defence-relevant research, development and innovation. The CRF was established in 2018 to support research partnerships between industry, academia and Defence, across a wide range of disciplines. Now in its seventh round of funding, the CRF has provided almost $4 million in funding to 29 South Australian-based projects. Deputy Premier of South Australia and Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close said the CRF provides a launch pad for collaboration and innovation across universities, industry and Defence. “South Australia is a leader when it comes to defence industry research and this program supports the development of innovative solutions for the Australian Defence Force,” Close said. “To date South Australian-based projects and project teams previously funded by the Defence Innovation Partnership received $9.9 million of follow-on funding to further develop their projects.” Dr Stephen Warren-Smith from the University of South Australia who was Project Lead on CRF Round 6 project “Deep Sensing: Machine Learning Enhanced Optical Fibre Hydrophone” said the grant had been key in advancing the project to proof-of-concept stage. “The Defence Innovation Partnership grant allowed us to work solidly for a year with a dedicated researcher and allowed us to do a proof-of-concept demonstration that wouldn’t have been otherwise possible,” he said. “The big picture vision of the project is that if we could create an underwater network of sensors around Australia’s coastline, we could listen for adversaries who might be approaching Australia, very similar to the radar networks that we use now for above the ocean and in the air. Throughout the project we worked with our industry and university partners to achieve a sensitivity in optical fibres that surpasses existing electronic hydrophone technology.” Applications for Round 7 of the CRF are open until 8 September 2023, with successful applicants announced later in the year. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]